Descendancy Files
For more than twenty-fiveyears, I have been drawing together the many diverse sources of information that relate to my own and the Quaker extended family and in that task, I have benefited from the experience and knowledge of others, as well as gaining a clearer understanding of the relative complexities of my own heritage, drawn from largely already published sources. My reference list is HERE.
For myself, it is a subject of fascination, trawling through the genealogies of those (Quakers) whom the historian, George Macaulay Trevelyan pointedly stated, were Britain's "Spiritual aristocracy". Since he hailed from the "Intellectual aristocracy", it seemed a generous praise for those modest and quite remarkable people, of whom the wider world in general, really knows so little.
I am not however a genealogist, (that is only an associated interest); I am more of a collator of family pedigrees, devoted to illustrating family associations. My real interest is not in ancestral or descendant records per se but rather in the lateral lines that connect one Quaker family to another by marriage. It is the key that opened the door to their greatest successes in the world at large. The files are at the bottom of this page and open in a new page.
Such being said, it seems a purposeless task to publish these records unless it helps others to shed some light on these same families and such is why I have posted these files to the internet. To place my entire database here would not be in my own interests, after all, not only is this file large in size but it is representative of over twenty years of work. I would be the first to admit that I am selfish enough to want to retain it that way. Giving away years of work at the push of a button is something that benefits no-one. In all, it comprises thus far, over 153,000 people..... each and all linked to one another by blood and/or marriage. These following files are only a small representative cross-section of a much bigger picture. If you are interested in a family that is not shown here, or shown only in part, drop me a line and I'll either add it or at the very least try to help you with specific data. The key to much of this work is British Quaker families. It does however embrace other such families in other parts of the world.
I am more than willing to share selected data and would be quite happy to send any lines that may be of specific interest to anyone who cares to ask. All that I would ask in return, is that there be a degree of reciprocity. Even a small snippet of information. That way we both benefit. It doesn't matter if the trade-off is in your favour.... If, on the other hand, all you want is the raw data for nothing, then you are on the wrong website.
Here are some free PDFs as an opening gambit. You will note that I have omitted a lot of contemporary detail from these descendancy files. The dates and employ for living people are excluded. Some are already in the public domain but it doesn't mean that I ought not have some concern for the privacy of the living. Notes are excluded, photographs are excluded and reference sources are only given in a general sense, on the Page Icon, on the left of your screen and at the end of each PDF file. You may probably find exclusions, errors and omissions. Such is why I post this to the internet. Constructive criticism and advice; correction, additions and amendments, are the very things that I invite. But please remember that this is an ongoing exercise. Some branches of the family I haven't looked at in detail for years. Each week, I try to add more. If you want you discuss these matters, please contact me at this link.
One more thing.... these are not all small files; the largest run to over 1000 pages. The content of each of the family files are listed in the style of seniority. That is to say, the eldest child's family and all of the succeeding eldest families of each successive generation will be listed first. This will be clear, as you examine the files. The older files ran in some cases to over a thousand pages and seemed almost incomprehensible. This ought make things a bit easier to follow. Then, as before, you may use the PDF word search to establish if what you require is here. Then, if you find anything that sparks your curiosity, or indeed, if you find errors and omissions... then please drop me a line.
All these specimen files are now updated as from the 1st July 2020. A few, more recently. The process continues.
Ackroyd of Lancashire Albright of Charlbury Albright of Lancaster Aldam of Yorkshire
Alexander of Kent Alexander of Suffolk Allen of Thorpe Salvin Ashby of Uxbridge
Backhouse of Yealand Barclay of Urie Beakbane of Yealand Beck of Surrey
Bell of Cumbria Benson of Grasmere Bevan of Swansea Binns of Yorkshire
Braithwaite of Kendal Brayshaw of Lancashire Bright of Rochdale Buxton of Coggeshall
Cadbury of Bournville Capper of Newington Champion of Bristol Chapman of Whitby
Christy of London Clapham of Newcastle Clark of Somerset Clothier of Somerset
Coates of Bishop Auckland Corbyn of Worcester Corder of Feering Bury Crewdson of Kendal
Croker of Lyneham Cropper of Liverpool Crosfield of Lancaster Crowley of Rowley Regis
Crowley of London Darby of Coalbrookdale Dearman of York Dilworth of Lancaster
Dixon of Raby, Durham Dixon of Rokeby Driver of London Fardon of Banbury
Foster of Durham Fowler of Wiltshire Fox of Cornwall Fox of Dewsbury
Fry of Wiltshire Gibbins of Stourbridge Gillett of Shipston on Stour Grubb of Ireland
Gulson of Coventry Gurney of Norfolk Hagen of London Hanbury of Worcestershire
Hoare of Co. Cork Hodgkin of Shipston Horsnaill of Kent Howard of Kent
Hustler of Bradford I'Anson of Darlington Jowitt of Leeds King of Manchester
Lean of Cornwall Lloyd of Dolobran, Wales Marriage of Chelmsford May of Oxfordshire
Moorsom of Fylingdales Neave of Fordingbridge Payne of Yorkshire Pease of Darlington
Pelly of London Pike of Co. Cork Pim of Waterford Priestman of Yorkshire
Pym of Bedfordshire Ransome of Suffolk Reckitt of Hull Reynolds of Wiltshire
Reynolds of Bristol Richardson of Gt. Ayton Richardson of Hull Robson of Darlington
Rowntree of Scarborough Sandys of Esthwaite Sims of Kent Somervell of Kendal
Sturge of Gloucestershire Tregelles of Cornwall Tritton of London Tuke of York
Wakefield of Kendal Waterhouse of Liverpool Watson of Northumberland Whitwell of Kendal
Wilson of Grasmere Wilson of Kendal 1 Wilson of Kendal 2 Wilson 2 Chart (751 pages)
My antecedent tree The Nobel Prize Anomaly 1 The Nobel Prize Anomaly 2
Some new additions: Coffin Kirkbride Harford Player Sharp Simpson Small Woodhead Head Gray Pumphrey Barrow Bleckly Smith Pace Warner
A new book was launched in December 2015, titled, The Generations In Between. Written by Ben Simpson, who descends from many lines of early Quaker families, many of whom feature in these pages, it is a book that is compelling in its narrative. Many of the family names and people shown therein, will be known to those who have a keen eye for the wider Quaker family connections. It can be found by clicking on the book title, as given above. I know it to be a most extraordinary journey into family history and gladly commend it to your attention.
Another book that I would commend to your attention, is "Voices From a Trunk", which is written by Sara Woodall, (Blackthorn Press - 2014), which only now, have I found the time to read. Once again, it proves to be a fascinating account of the Eddison family of Quakers from Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, and of their their connections and associations with many others of that faith. Based upon a valuable but long lost archive of historical family documents, Sara has produced a powerful text which serves to remind us, that in our world today, the Quaker influence and affect is often overlooked, yet can be found in all quarters of our modern world.